Halep beats Begu to reach Shenzhen final

Romanian world No.1 Simona Halep will play Katerina Siniakova in the Shenzhen Open final after Maria Sharapova lost her semi-final.

Romanian World No.1 Simona Halep

Simona Halep has powered past compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu to reach the final of the Shenzhen Open. (AAP)

Top-ranked Simona Halep moved into the Shenzhen Open final by beating fourth-seeded Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1 6-4 on Friday.

Halep will face Katerina Siniakova in the final after the defending champion beat five-time major winner Maria Sharapova 6-2 3-6 6-3 in Friday's other semifinal.

"I always enjoy playing here and it's going to be a big challenge (Saturday)," Halep said. "I'm ready to play and we'll see what's going to happen."

Halep had 15 winners and four service breaks as she maintained her perfect record against her doubles partner, improving to 6-0 against Begu.

"It was a tough match, I know that she's a very strong player and in the second set, you could see that she was improving her game," Halep said. "I was strong enough to hit the ball (well) in the end."

Siniakova hit 10 aces against Sharapova, who is set for a return to the Australian Open which starts on Jan. 15.

Sharapova missed last year's tournament during a doping ban that dated back to a failed test for meldonium at Melbourne Park in 2016.


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Source: AAP


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